Luxembourg gets its ambassador
Some seven months after being nominated to the post by president Donald Trump, Randy Evans has finally been confirmed as the US ambassador to Luxembourg. The U.S. Senate voted 48-43 (with nine not voting) on Thursday to confirm the appointment of the lawyer from Atlanta, Georgia. Law.com’s The Daily Report cited a mail from Evans: “From the dirt roads of Dublin to the Oval Office and now to the wonderful Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, through God’s good graces, I have and will always carry in my heart an undying love for our country and an unequivocal commitment to serve to the very best of my abilities.” Delano will keep readers posted about Evans’s arrival and presentation of his credentials to the grand duke.
Commissions settles Gazprom deal
The European Commission has announced a set of obligations on Russian state-owned energy giant Gazprom that will enable natural-gas flows from Russia at competitive prices. "Our decision provides a tailor-made rulebook for Gazprom's future conduct” said commissioner in charge of competition policy, Margrethe Vestager. In exchange, the Russian state-owned energy giant was able to avoid billions of dollars in penalties following a multiyear antitrust case, The Wall Street Journal says.
Bank of England ready for Brexit
The Bank of England is ready to respond to Brexit in “whatever form it takes,” its governor Mark Carney said in a speech to the Society of Professional Economists in London on Thursday. The Guardian says that Carney is prepared to cut interest rates--or freeze plans to increase them--in order to support jobs and economic growth should Britain be plunged into a disorderly Brexit.
Moon regrets summit cancellation
South Korean president, Moon Jae-in, has said he is “perplexed” by what he called the “regrettable” news that the North Korea-US summit will not be held. Moon called an emergency meeting following the announcement by Donald Trump on Thursday. The Guardian reports that North Korea has said it is still willing to hold direct talks with the United States.
EU faces court over climate change
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union are being taken to court for allowing overly high greenhouse gas emissions to continue until 2030, The Guardian reports. Litigants, who include a French lavender farmer and the indigenous Sami community in Sweden, claim the EU’s emissions targets do not go far enough to protect their fundamental rights of life, health, occupation and property. The case will be heard in Luxemburg at the EU’s general court.